How to play

Goal

6 players start at 32 HP. Each round you shop, build, then fight one rival. Higher total wins. Hit 0 HP and you are out. Last player standing takes 1st.

After round 15, survivors rank by HP, then by last total.

Shop and gold

• Every card costs 3 gold and sells for 1. Countries, people and effects alike. Cost is not shown on the card.
• Round gold: 6, 6, 7, 7, then 8 from round 5. Unspent gold carries over.
• Refresh costs 1 and unlocks the shop. Lock keeps the shop for next round and can be toggled during battle.
• Shop: 4 cards, 5 cards from round 5, 6 cards from round 9.
• Prep time: 16s, 20s from round 3, 45s from round 5, 60s from round 9.
• 5 card slots, 2 effect slots.

Flag tiers

162 countries in 5 tiers. Rarer flags score more and show up later. T1 from round 1, T2 from round 1, T3 from round 2, T4 from round 4, T5 from round 6. Shop odds by round:

Scoring

• Links: two countries sharing a land border link for round((A + B) × 0.35). Sea neighbours never link.
• Chain: your biggest connected group pays +5 at 3, +10 at 4, +18 at 5, +22 at 6.
• Continent: 2=+2, 3=+3, 4=+5, 5+=+8 countries from one continent.

Six continents: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Oceania. Central America and the Caribbean are North America. Russia is Europe. Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Cyprus are Asia. Egypt is Africa.

People

16 figures. With their homeland on your board they score twice and join its chain. Without it they still add their printed score. Stronger figures come later, like high tiers.

Cook · United Kingdom · 3 Magellan · Portugal · 3 Vasco da Gama · Portugal · 3 Zheng He · China · 3 Bolivar · Peru · 4 Cleopatra · Egypt · 4 Isabella I · Spain · 4 Lincoln · United States · 4 Tokugawa Ieyasu · Japan · 4 Washington · United States · 4 Alexander · Greece · 5 Elizabeth I · United Kingdom · 5 Julius Caesar · Italy · 5 Napoleon · France · 5 Genghis Khan · Mongolia · 6 Qin Shi Huang · China · 6

Talents

Pick 1 of 3 before round 1 and another before round 7. Rivals pick too.

Talent	Type	Effect
Blood Tax	Economy	Lose 8 HP now. +4 gold each round.
Interest	Economy	Round start: +1 gold per 2 gold you hold, up to +5.
Treasury	Economy	From round 7: total +1 per 2 gold you hold, up to +12.
War Chest	Economy	Start with 10 gold. Rounds give 1 less gold.
Free Dispatch	Shop	First 2 refreshes each round are free.
Grand Bazaar	Shop	Shop grows and stronger effect cards unlock 2 rounds early.
Royal Court	Shop	From round 7: shop always has a base 5+ card. Your base 5+ cards: +2.
Street Market	Shop	Rounds 1-4: cards cost 2.
Exile Court	Board	People without their homeland get half the homeland bonus, rounded up.
Levy	Board	Each card with base 1: +2.
Privy Council	Board	From round 8: 3 effect card slots.
Sixth Seat	Board	From round 9: 6 card slots.
Coastline	Scoring	Each coastal country: +1 per border link.
Empire	Scoring	Your largest country by area scores x2, and its border links x2.
Lone Stars	Scoring	Each country with no border link: +4.
Long March	Scoring	Chain bonus x1.5. Chains under 4 get no bonus.
Old Continent	Scoring	Each border link between two European countries: +4.
Regalia	Scoring	Your highest base card scores x2.
Silk Road	Scoring	Each border link between two Asian countries: +5.
Small Nations	Scoring	Your smallest country by area scores x2.
Blitz	Battle	Rounds 1-4: total x2.
Last Stand	Battle	At 10 HP or less: total +12.
Pavise	Battle	Damage taken -2, at least 1.
Phoenix	Battle	Heal 8 HP now. The first time you drop to 0 HP, return with 5 HP.

Effect cards

Stronger effects unlock in rounds 5 and 9.

Effect	From	Text
Chart	1	Each country with no border link: +4.
Coalition	1	Any border link on your board: +4.
Edict	1	Chain of 3 or more: +6.
Militia	1	Each card with base 1-2: +2.
Tide	1	Each border link: +2.
Bloodline	5	Homeland bonus counts twice.
Compass	5	+1 per 4° between your northernmost and southernmost capitals.
Crown Jewel	5	Your highest base card counts twice.
Dynasty	5	Each person with their homeland: +4.
Heartland	5	Your largest country: +1 per million km² of its area.
Iron Crown	5	Chain of 3 or more: +2 for each card in it.
Vanguard	5	Chain bonus x1.5.
Grand Alliance	9	Each border link: +5.
Imperium	9	Chain of 4 or more: +3 for each card in it.
Sovereign	9	Each card with base 4 or more: +5.

Damage

The lower total loses HP: a base that grows by round, plus 1 per 4 points behind. Ties deal nothing.

No max once 3 or fewer remain. With an odd count, one player fights a mirror that takes no damage.

Modes

• Versus Bot: a 6-player match against 5 bots. Starts at once. Unrated.
• Ranked: a 6-player match. Rated for signed-in accounts. Guests stay unrated.
• Play with Friends: a private room for 2 to 6. The host starts. Seats are not filled with bots. Unrated.

Ranked

Rating starts at 0 and never falls below 0. Only Ranked matches for signed-in accounts change it. Guests, Versus Bot and Play with Friends are unrated.